Foldable box and package panel which is folded to form the box

ABSTRACT

A foldable box, which is formed from a package panel, includes a bottom board, four side boards on four sides of the bottom board, two top boards on two of the side boards at opposite sides, and two connecting boards on the other two side boards. Each side board has two foldable wing pieces at opposite sides. The side boards fold upwardly to engage the wind pieces with the wind pieces of the neighboring side boards. The engaged wind pieces are overlapped and respectively form into a flat portion at junctions of the side boards. The foldable box may be assembled and disassembled in an easy and fast way.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a portable container, and more particularly to a foldable box and a package panel which is folded to form the box.

2. Description of the Related Art

There are various designs of portable containers for different purposes in the market, such as pet carrier. Typically, the pet carrier simply is a plastic box with a fixed size so that the user still has to carry the pet carrier when there is no pet in it, and furthermore, it is a problem to store such pet carrier in house.

A detachable pet carrier is provided to solve above drawback. However, it is a hard job for the user to assemble and disassemble the pet carrier. The price of such pet carrier is much higher because of its complex structure. The pieces of the detached pet carrier are separated so that sometime the pet carrier cannot be assembled because some of the pieces are lost. In addition, it usually needs a specific tool to assemble and disassemble the pet carrier, and the user can do nothing without the tool.

Therefore, a new portable box for carrying pets without the above drawback is very welcomed by the consumer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a foldable box, which is light, fast-assembling, and a small size for storage.

According to the objective of the present invention, the present invention provides

In an embodiment, the flat portion is slightly curved inwardly.

In an embodiment, the wing piece is an elliptic plate; a proximal side of the wing piece is curved inwardly from the side of the side board which connects to the wing piece and a distal side of the wing piece is curved outwardly from the side of the side board which connects to the wing piece.

In an embodiment, the wing piece has a long axis and a short axis, and the long axis is parallel to the side of the side board which connects to the wing piece.

In an embodiment, the top board has a transfer piece connecting to the side board, and the transfer piece forms a flat portion at a junction between the top board and the side board.

In an embodiment, the transfer piece is an elliptic plate a side of the transfer piece is curved inwardly from the side of the side board which connects to the top board and an opposite side of the transfer piece is curved outwardly from the side of the side board which connects to the top board.

In an embodiment, the engaged wing pieces respectively have a locker and an opening; and the locker is inserted into the opening and turned to secure the wing pieces.

Therefore, the foldable box of the present invention may be assembled and disassembled in an easy and fast way.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention in the expanded condition;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The detailed description and technical contents of the present invention will be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the drawings are illustrative only but not used to limit the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a foldable box 100 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention which is formed from a package panel 10 as shown in FIG. 2. The package panel 10 has a bottom board 12, four side boards 14, 16, 18, 20, two top board 32, and two connecting boards 34.

The bottom board 12 is a rectangular board having four sides 12 a, 12 b, 12 c, 12 d.

The side boards 14 and 16 are inherently formed on the side 12 a and the side 12 c of the bottom board 12. The other two side boards 18 and 20 are two separated boards which are connected to the 12 b and the side 12 d of the bottom board 12 by bolts. The side boards are provided with bores 24 for ventilation when the foldable box 100 carries a pet.

Each side board is provided with a pair of wing pieces 26 at opposite sides. As shown in FIG. 3, each wing piece 26 is an elliptic plate having a long axis 26 a and a short axis 26 b. All the wing pieces 26 have the same relationship with the bottom board 12, and here we take the wing piece 26 on the side board 18 for example. The long axis 26 a of the wing piece 26 is perpendicular to the side 12 b of the bottom board 12 which connects to the side board 18 and is parallel to the side 12 a which is adjacent to the side 12 b. The long axis 26 a passes the side 12 a. A proximal side of the wing piece 26 is curved inwardly from the side 12 b of the side board 12 and a distal side of the wing piece 26 is curved outwardly from the side 12 b of the side board 12.

The wing pieces 26 of the side boards 14 and 16 are respectively provided with a rotary locker 28, and the wing pieces 26 of the side boards 18 and 20 are respectively provided with an opening 30. While the side boards 16-20 respectively fold upwardly as shown in FIG. 4, the wing pieces 26 of the neighboring side boards are overlapped so that the lockers 28 may engage the openings 30 on the neighboring side boards 18, 20. After the lockers 28 are turned, it may secure the side boards 16-20 in the vertical state and form a chamber therein. The wing pieces 26 respectively form into a flat portion at the junctions between the side boards 16-20, and the flat portions are slightly curved inward because of the material property and the specific structure. The wing pieces 26 may eliminate the sharp corners of the foldable box 100 and enhance the strength thereof.

The top boards 32 are inherently formed on distal sides of the side boards 14, 16. In an embodiment, the top board 32 has a transfer piece 321, a cover piece 322, and an extending piece 323. As shown in FIG. 3, the transfer piece 321 is an elliptic plate having a long axis 321 a and a short axis 321 b, and the transfer piece 321 connects to the distal end of the side board 14(16). The long axis 321 a of the transfer piece 321 is parallel to the side 12 a of the bottom board 12 which connects to the side board 14 with the transfer piece 321 on the distal side thereof. The function of the transfer piece 321 is the same as the wing pieces 26. The cover piece 322 is between the transfer piece 321 and the extending piece 323. The extending piece 323 has two protrusions 323 a at a distal side.

The connecting boards 34 are inherently formed on distal sides of the side boards 18, 20. Each connecting board 34 is provided with an elongated slot 34 a to engage the protrusion 323 a of the extending piece 323. Each top board 32 has an opening 323 b on the extending piece 323 for the user to hold the foldable box 100.

The foldable box 100 is formed by folding the package panel 10. The lockers 28 are to secure the side boards. The foldable box 100 may receive specific object, such as a pet, therein. On the contrary, the side boards are disconnected by turning the lockers 28 to transform the box 100 into a flat board for storage.

The description above is a few preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the equivalence of the present invention is still in the scope of claim construction of the present invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A foldable box, comprising: a bottom board having four sides; four side boards respectively connected to the four sides of the bottom board, and each of the side boards having two foldable wing pieces at opposite sides, wherein the side boards fold upwardly to engage the wind pieces with the wind pieces of the neighboring side boards; two top boards respectively connected to the side boards at opposite sides of the bottom board, wherein the top boards are connected to distal sides of the side boards; and two connecting boards respectively connected to the other two side boards, wherein the connecting boards are connected to distal sides of the side boards to detachably engage the top boards; wherein the engaged wind pieces are overlapped and at junctions between the side boards.
 2. The foldable box as defined in claim 1, wherein the wing pieces respectively form into a flat portion at the junctions between the side boards.
 3. The foldable box as defined in claim 2, wherein the flat portion is slightly curved inwardly.
 4. The foldable box as defined in claim 1, wherein the wing piece is an elliptic plate; a proximal side of the wing piece is curved inwardly from the side of the side board which connects to the wing piece and a distal side of the wing piece is curved outwardly from the side of the side board which connects to the wing piece.
 5. The foldable box as defined in claim 4, wherein the wing piece has a long axis and a short axis, and the long axis is parallel to the side of the side board which connects to the wing piece.
 6. The foldable box as defined in claim 1, wherein the top board has a transfer piece connecting to the side board, and the transfer piece forms into a flat portion at a junction between the top board and the side board.
 7. The foldable box as defined in claim 6, wherein the flat portion is slightly curved inwardly.
 8. The foldable box as defined in claim 6, wherein the transfer piece is an elliptic plate a side of the transfer piece is curved inwardly from the side of the side board which connects to the top board and an opposite side of the transfer piece is curved outwardly from the side of the side board which connects to the top board.
 9. The foldable box as defined in claim 8, wherein the transfer piece has a long axis and a short axis, and the long axis is parallel to the side of the side board which connects to the top board.
 10. The foldable box as defined in claim 1, wherein the engaged wing pieces respectively have a locker and an opening; and the locker is inserted into the opening and turned to secure the wing pieces. 